Generational Gaps, Polls & Gay Marriage

In past classes we discussed a divide when it came to technology, but there are many other types of divides when it comes to generations. According to a new poll by CNN most Americans still oppose Gay Marriage, however, as the poll indicates, individuals under 35 are solidly for gay marriage legalization. The poll also notes that "just 44 percent back gay marriage, compared with 58 percent of those under 35" which is quite astounding to think about when you take into account another statistic in the poll that "only around 4 in 10 Americans ages 35 to 64 back gay marriage, and the number drops to 24 percent for those above age 65."

Now, what do all these numbers mean to the average person in the bracket range of "under 35" besides a huge headache, lots of questions and proof that polls are very difficult to breakdown a lot of the time? Besides the fact that there are tons of polls conducted all the time which can show a large amount of support for one side, as opposed to the other. I believe that the future of Progressive ideals, and support for things like gay marriage are driven by the youth vote. When I see a poll like the one conducted last week by NBC/Wall Street Journal which shows people support gay marriage now more than in 2004, and more that more people support gay marriage, then oppose it, I feel very optimistic about where our country is heading. I think it shows that our country is slowly moving in a different direction and becoming much more tolerant towards people who in the past they may have deemed "different." It is a wonderful thing to see and hopefully it can continue and also be driven by the same youth movement that the first poll showed has a sharp contrasting view on issues that might have seemed divisive in the past.

Where's The Outrage?

The title of this blog comes from the tag line for a movie that premiered earlier this week at the Tribeca Film Festival about outing gay Republicans who vote against the interest of gays and lesbians. The film, which caught me interest months back, sounds very interesting, and is by a filmmaker named Kirby Dick, who is no stranger to these types of documentaries. He did another film called "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" which shows the hypocrisy of the rating system in films, which I would highly recommend. His movie Outrage, which I have not yet seen, but I would like to, is a documentary that openly shows the bias Republican lawmakers express by staying in the closet, while voting against the interest of everyday gay and lesbian people. In the film, Kirby, who never hides his feelings on a subject asks politicians why and how they can do this and whether they found this hypocritical. Obviously people had differing opinions on this type of film, and it set off some very strong responses. Florida Governor and potential running mate to John McCain, whose sexuality has been questioned on a regular basis, and was interviewed in this movie did not return phone calls asking for comments, along with other people called out in this film.

I really look forward to seeing this movie sometime in the future because I like Kirby Dick's documentary films, and I think he is doing a service to people who are fed up with double talk by politicians. It is not just on this topic, but I think people are tired of politicians who say one thing and do another thing. If there was more transparency, and more honesty coming from Washington these types of exposes would not be neccesary, but until that happens, this is the only way to see through the lies. Of course, you have to understand any bias that you are watching, reading, or looking at when you make your decision, but I think Kirby Dick's films are usually spot on and show the true bias and idiocy that he is trying to uncover.

Why Certain Speech Should Not Be Tolerated

I am in favor of free speech and think that people should be allowed to express themselves however they see fit. However, there are certain exceptions where free speech ends and a person needs to be careful with what they say, and how they express themselves. Obviously people know the exception to the rule where someone cannot scream fire in a crowded theater, but I feel free speech should not just end at that. I think when people spew hateful, vile things at someone, whether it is to their face, or over cyberspace, it should be censored. Representative Virginia Foxx is an example of hate speech that I believe should not be allowed to go unchecked. She claimed that the story of Matthew Shepard who was murdered for being gay, was a hoax, when in fact that is completely false according to a report in 1998 from the New York Times.


As stated from the New York Times in 1998, via the Huffingtonpost:

"According to the local police and prosecutors, the two men lured Mr. Shepard out of a bar by saying they were gay. Then, the Laramie police say, the pair kidnapped Mr. Shepard, pistol-whipped him with a .357 Magnum, and left him tied to a ranch fence for 18 hours until a passing bicyclist spotted Mr. Shepard, who was unconscious."

I believe hate speech does not just harm gay or lesbian people, either. I think speech that is hateful, or derogatory should not be used at all. As Rep. John Lewis stated, a black senator from Georgia, who was a victim of a hate crim during the struggle for civil rights "She should be ashamed...That is unreal, unbelievable. "The law enforcement people and almost every reasonable person I know believes he was murdered because he was gay."

I think it is pretty unbelievable that someone could say something like this and also a bit insensitive to the family and friends of Matthew Shepard. I can remember hearing about it when it happened and how horrifying the news of his murder was. I hope she apologies for her comments and understands her comments where not the proper things to say.

This is the video of her comments.

Gay Marriage In Maine

Every generation dreams and aspires to be a part of a move, cause, or fight that highlights something positive, something that will be remembered for centuries and written in textbooks for future generations to see. When I read this story about Maine introducing a bill to allow Gay Marriage, I admit I got a little choked up, and not just because more states are starting to join in on the recent wave of acceptance, but rather because of the warm, standing ovation the senator who introduced it received. This part of the story also made me feel very happy and that our generation was standing up for a population I personally felt was being discriminated against.

"The time has come to recognize same-sex marriages." That one sentence, in my opinion says it all, and I think it is long overdue to accept same-sex marriage, too. The senator also stated in the article that his proposal "recognizes the worth of every man and woman among us and that it is backed by 60 co-sponsors."

I really do think this is a beautiful thing and the fact that it received such a warm and welcoming response gives me a renewed sense of optimism for an end to discrimination and for a more welcoming society. When the people we elect can work together like this and pass legislation that works for a minority group it is fantastic. I really hope New York state can heed this example and also pass a bill that allows same-sex marriage.

Pageantry and Politics Collide

This weekend after watching my Pistons succumb to their inevitable defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs, and then watching my Red Wings win their second playoff game in the NHL Playoffs, I decided to take some well deserved time off from sports and watch the Miss USA Pageant. It was a great display of talent and beauty, and I enjoyed every minute of it until politics unfortunately had to be thrown in and ruin it. Perez Hilton, known for his gossip blog, was one of the guest judges during the pageant, and asked Miss California, who was in a tight race with Miss North Carolina, who ended up losing, a question on her views about gay marriage. As I have stated before on this blog, I am 100% in favor of gay marriage, gay and lesbian couples having the same rights as heterosexual couples to be married and be recognized as such. However, in my opinion, it belittles the movement to legalize gay marriage when you blindside someone like that, who worked very hard to get to that moment and when she actually gave an honest answer to penalize her. Just because I do not agree with her views does not make me any better than her. I can try and change her views, or convince her in other ways to be more accepting, but the way Hilton acted was really obnoxious and does not help anyone. In fact I think it might have done a little bit of damage because it might show people who are in favor of gay marriage as intolerant of other people's views or overreaching in what they want. It will at least, sadly, give Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity something to play for the next week until they find something else to get angry about.

New York to Introduce Same-Sex Marriage Bill

As I mentioned in my previous blogs 2009 has gotten off to an amazing start. So far this year two states have passed legislation that legalizes same-sex marriage bringing the total to four states in the entire country. The New York Times is reporting that Governor Paterson will introduce similar legislation on Thursday which would make New York State the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage, if passed.


"Mr. Paterson has said in recent days that the State Legislature should move ahead now with the legislation regardless of whether it can muster enough votes. His reasoning, which some gay rights advocates have challenged, is that New York should make a statement that it is committed to treating same-sex couples the same way it treats opposite-sex couples."

That statement alone is something I think speaks volumes for any group of people. We should treat all people equal regardless of their religion, creed, or sexual orientation. Paterson is doing the right thing by introducing this bill and hopefully it will not be met with the same opposition the same-sex marriage bill had when the Republican Governor vetoed it. Luckily in that case there were enough votes to override his veto, but it was an unnecessary bump in the road to having equal protection and equal rights under the law. I really hope this passes here in New York and we can become the fifth state to join in on this progressive wave of acceptance and inclusion, rather than divisiveness and hate.

The Power of New Media

There is no denying that the way we communicate with one another has changed and will continue to change constantly. I think the fact that technology continues to improve has more of a positive affect on society, rather than an adverse affect on it. Even though there are lots of negative aspects, I believe the positive ones out weight the negative ones. I can live with the fact that Steve Jobs has a new Mac product or two each and every year. As Professor Daniels pointed out on her blog via the New York Times and as we discussed in our previous class, new media like Twitter and Facebook makes it easier for people to communicate and organize for something.

This type of organizing can come in handy when something like this happens , on Amazon and stirs enough outrage in people for them to use media out lets like Twitter to vent their anger and disgust and try to put an end to it by using new media. It is great to see things like this happen almost instantaneously and people react in real time with other people. When I first heard about Twitter last year I thought it was a very silly idea because I did not think anyone would care about what I was doing every second of the day, and I thought anyone who had the time to tweet all those updates was crazy, but now I am a little less skeptical about it. I never thought about using Twitter, or Facebook as a way to organize people, or communicate with them so they could be somewhere, or they could get information almost instantaneously. Along with the excellent power point presentation from the last class, I have learned quite a bit of very fascinating information about technology and how it has advanced in such a short amount of time. If people can vent their anger about this, then there is no telling how else this new media can be used for the good of humanity and society. I am excited to see where else new media leads us in the coming years.